Review of Dallas Buyers Club (2013) by Cj W — 02 Jun 2014

All the things "Dallas Buyers Club" could have been about that would have ruined the film and made it cliche, it was not. Redemption, love, friendship, and tolerance; these are all themes "Dallas Buyers Club" touches on, however, for the good of the film, the filmmakers choose not to dwell on them. Instead, they choose a vision broader, more genuine, and more humane than all of these; this film is about being human in the face of certain death, and it is about the difference between a human being and a passerby.

The film begins with a shot through a gate towards a man riding a bull, or in my opinion, riding life. The man on the bull is not Ron Woodroof, no, Ron is the one peeking through the gate as the moans of two women are heard. Life is passing Ron by, it is playing out in front of his eyes, but he is on the sidelines distracting himself with boos, drugs, and women. Death is a far away spector to Ron, and he sees no reason to hurry and get his life in check. Even after he has been told that he has AIDS, he denies it, and continues to live his free-wheeling lifestyle. He thinks it is a mistake, because to him only "faggots" can contract AIDS, and he is not one of those, so it must be a mistake. His ignorance is enormous, and his compassion zilch. It is only after doing research at the library that he finally accepts that he has AIDS, although, and this is a key to Ron Woodroof, he does not accept that he will more than likely die in 6 months. Here is when we begin to see how the acceptance of life and the refusal to die shape and change a human being.

Ron's ignorance begins to fade away as he becomes more aware of his disease. He learns tolerance for homosexuals, this coming from his experiences and friendship with Rayon, played fantastically by Jared Leto, who is a cross-dressing male. At first Ron speaks to Rayon as if he is just a thing, saying at one point, "get the fuck over there, whatever the hell you are." Ron's compassion and the selfless soul within him have yet to be exposed; this is another item his friendship with Rayon brings out of him, although, not altogether that quickly. Ron does not begin changing his life until he spends 2 months in an underground Mexican hospital for AIDS patients. Here, he breaks his drug habit, realizes that he must do his to best to be healthy, and also, gets into the business of transporting non-FDA approved medicine into the U.S., so that AIDS victims who cannot get into the AZT trials will have some sort of alternative, someway to prolong life so that they may get another shot to live life like it should be lived; with love, compassion, comfort, and contentment. However, I do not think it can be said early on that Ron is doing this out of the good of his heart. I think he does it because it makes him money, and it keeps him alive, the altruism just is not there yet. Ron is looking at things the same way the government is, and the same way doctors and scientists are, which is in black and white. But more and more, as the film goes along, Ron starts to see the whole spectrum of colors, he starts to see that this is not just about him, it is about millions of people who are looking death right in the face, and they're scared, they have been alienated, and all they can do is watch death creep closer and closer until it finally devours them in a bloody and grotesque display of the forces of entropy. Ron begins to feel the despair and loneliness of living life constantly in between life and death, teetering each second from one to the other. Which is honestly a state we are all in, but refuse to see that we are. And may be we all must accept this fact if we are to hope to live a life as meaningful as Ron. Looking at Ron, I see a bit of myself, someone who never took life too seriously until death punched them in the face. I cannot say death hit me in the same literal way, but figuratively, we all must see death clearly to understand why life is so important. Something Ron achieves, and this is why the closing shot is not of Ron lying helplessly in a hospital bed on the brink of death, but is a shot through the same gate to begin the film, instead this time, there are no sexual moans in the background, or a different man on the bull. Ron is on the bull, and he is taking a hell of a ride through life.

"Dallas Buyers Club" is a deeply affecting film, thanks in no small part to the performances of Leto and McConaughy, whom I both consider worthy of their Oscar wins. However, these two are not the only reason to see this film; it is an all around great film, with a poignant script, steady direction, and smooth editing and cinematography. In no way will beauty be unleashed upon your eyes and ears, as say a Terrence Malick film would, but you will be stunned by the humanity, humility, and understanding "Dallas Buyers Club" presents. It is without a doubt one of the best films I have seen this year.